In related news, we have a burning question for the blogosphere. Please tell us: WHY do cats always hack up on the carpet? My house is less than half-carpeted and yet, without fail, the cat picks the carpeted (hard-to-clean) areas to make his hairballs in. This is true even in houses with far less carpet. Everyone else with cats reports the same thing. Is there some physiological reason? Do they like to be comfy when yarfing? I believe it is sheer cussedness, myself. Someone please enlighten us!

W0rd.

We now return you to your regular posting. Food for other folks will now be appearing Feb 23rd. Look forward to it.

Cat physiology – they need the carpet to provide something to grip onto with their claws. Sort of like a drunk teenager clinging onto a toilet bowl.
I have a long haired cat and he does about two a year now. Try pumpkin, butter and / or psyllium husk powder.

Mine manages to hit the food bowl and water fountain too (I have one of those fountains for pets). It’s especially nasty in the water fountain – you have to take everything apart to clean it and you have to do it now or it will clog the pump.

My cat never re-ingests. Not even when I’m gone and don’t find it for several days. But to be clear, he only ever yarfs up hairballs (which are not edible). He doesn’t yakk his food, for which I am grateful.

I have one cat who always goes under the couch to puke. (No carpet, no rug.) We deeply appreciate his consideration, because the hairball is out of the way and will not get stepped on by a sleepy or distracted person.

The others . . . oh, let’s not talk about them. But the Grammarian is a true gentleman.